Thursday 21 February 2013

Pho 888

552 Station Street
Box Hill, VIC 3128

You’re on the wrong side of the tracks. I’ve had a pretty stressful week, including no less than 3 calls to my mobile provider to sort out a new phone that had supposedly been delivered 3 weeks ago but I’ve never seen in my life. And lots of work. So by the end of the week I could practically taste the pho in my mouth, I was craving my favourite comfort food that much.



For my family and myself, Pho 888 is literally on the wrong side of the tracks. I’ve always thought that once you cross the tracks and are on the other end of Station Street in Box Hill, it’s a wasteland when it comes to dining options. Serves me right for assuming so – as a result I didn’t know for years that I can get pho practically on my doorstep (ish).


Also is it just me, or is the same cow and chicken displayed in every single pho shop ever? Chris and I are starting to suspect that all the pho places in Melbourne are run by one guy. Maaaaybe two.


Small Special Beef Pho ($8)

Small Special Beef Pho ($8)


I wasted no time in gunning for my favourite Small Special Beef Pho ($8). The soup is a bit too sweet and lacks depth but in the throes of my craving it will do! The rare beef wasn’t quite rare enough for my liking (though still very tender), and whilst there was plenty of beloved tripe, there wasn’t very much of the beef sausage or tendons. Nevertheless, I slurped this all up along with a handful of crisp sprouts and a squeeze of lemon.


Grilled Pork Chops with Steamed Rice ($9)


Chris the pho-hater, in a desperate attempt to get away from the inevitable chicken on rice, had Grilled Pork Chops with Steamed Rice ($9) instead. He left all the vegetables alone but I don’t blame him when the meat is so good. Smoky and I’m-not-sure-if-it’s-fatty-but-it-sure-tastes-fatty, there was plenty of tender, porky goodness to go around. Even the rice that lay underneath it was flavoured with charcoal and lemongrass from the pork.


Vietnamese Spring Rolls ($7 for 10)


Having just finished a whole day of work, I also wanted some Vietnamese Spring Rolls ($7 for 10) added to the feast. These were nothing to brag about but they weren’t bad either. The small batons were crispy and filled with a can’t-complain mixture of pork and vegetables. The lettuce was limp and soggy but the accompanying chilli sauce made up for its lack of vitality.

Ok so Pho 888 isn’t the beef noodle mecca I had been hoping for. But you know what? Pho is still pho and I will have it bent over a table if I have to, so long as it’s not filled with MSG. In this case, close enough really is good enough, and that pork chop was really nice.

Rating: 13/20 – close enough is good enough


Pho 888 Box Hill on Urbanspoon

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